There are many shapes and sizes of vacuum cleaners. Generally, however, vacuum cleaners may be divided into four categories: (1) upright vacuum cleaners; (2) stick vacuum cleaners; (3) canister vacuum cleaners and (4) hand-held vacuum cleaners. Upright vacuum cleaners generally include a nozzle assembly with a suction inlet that rides along the floor on the ground engaging wheels. The nozzle assembly is pivotally connected to a combined handle and canister assembly that carries the dirt collection vessel. The suction generator is usually carried on the canister assembly but may be carried on the nozzle assembly.
Stick vacuum cleaners are similar to upright vacuum cleaners but are significantly smaller and are lightweight. Whereas upright vacuum cleaners are meant for use in house-wide vacuum cleaning applications, stick vacuum cleaners are generally meant for small scale vacuum cleaning jobs such as vacuuming, for example, a kitchen floor.
Canister vacuum cleaners include a nozzle assembly having a suction inlet and an optional agitator as well as a separate canister assembly including the suction generator and dirt collection vessel. A cleaning wand and flexible hose are provided to connect the nozzle assembly with the canister assembly. Generally, canister vacuum cleaners are considered an alternative to upright vacuum cleaners and are used for house-wide cleaning operations. In contrast, hand-held vacuum cleaners are generally compact and lightweight. They are meant to be held in one hand and easily maneuvered to complete simple quick cleanups of limited areas or for specialty purposes such as when vacuuming an upholstered chair.
The present invention relates to a hand-held vacuum cleaner that may be easily converted into a stick vacuum cleaner. Hand-held vacuum cleaners and stick vacuum cleaners are suited for different types of cleaning applications and, accordingly, the convertibility of the vacuum cleaner enhances the versatility of the unit for use in different cleaning applications. Advantageously, the hand-held and convertible vacuum cleaner may be connected to the nozzle and wand assembly of an existing canister vacuum cleaner so as to minimize duplication of parts and provide ultimate cleaning versatility at a minimal cost.